Topline
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are mostly silent about whether President Donald Trump should pardon Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell in the wake of a report this week that some were open to leniency in exchange for her cooperation with the committee.
Key Facts
Forbes contacted the offices of all 25 rank-and-file GOP members of the committee asking if they support a pardon, and six—Reps. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, William Timmons, R-S.C., Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Clay Higgins, R-La., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.—replied to say they are against it.
Rep. John McGuire’s, R-Va., office declined to comment, and at least two other members, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., have said previously they’re against a pardon.
The Oversight Committee is conducting a probe into Epstein and earlier this year interviewed Maxwell, who repeatedly pleaded the fifth; the committee doesn’t have pardoning power, but could pressure Trump to grant Maxwell some leniency.
At least one member, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., has publicly expressed some openness to pardoning Maxwell, saying last year that reducing Maxwell’s sentence could give the committee some “leverage” in extracting a truthful testimony, calling her a “liar” and a “dirtbag.”
It’s unclear who on the committee supports a pardon—Comer told Politico this week the committee was “split” on pardoning Maxwell, the latest rift among the GOP over the government’s handling of Epstein.
One committee member told Forbes they were surprised to hear some of their colleagues would be open to a pardon, while Luna told NewsNation on Thursday “the votes aren’t there for that . . . at this point we’re not going to be supporting her pardon.”
Crucial Quote
Comer told Politico he thinks a pardon “looks bad,” adding, “honestly, other than Epstein, the worst person in this whole investigation is Maxwell.”
Chief Critic
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she was “shocked” to learn some Oversight Committee Republicans are supporting pardoning Maxwell, writing on X Friday that “if Trump gives her a pardon, it sets up a very potential quid pro quo. She will owe Trump and she will like to protect people he ask[sic] her to.” Greene said Epstein victims are “adamantly against her receiving a pardon as she was one of their main abusers next to Jeffrey Epstein and they say she is a serial liar.” She urged the Justice Department to pursue more convictions of co-conspirators. Greene resigned from Congress earlier this year amid a feud with Trump, in part over her criticism of his administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
Tangent
Maxwell hasn’t directly appealed to the Trump administration for a pardon and will wait until the news surrounding Epstein dies down before she does, her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, told Politico.
What We Don’t Know
Where Trump stands on pardoning Maxwell. He said in October he would “look at” pardoning her, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in February the last time she spoke to Trump about it “he said it’s not something he’s considering or thinking about.”
Key Background
Maxwell, 64, was sentenced in June 2022 to 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein’s sex trafficking scandal. Maxwell was deposed virtually from her Texas prison by the committee in February and repeatedly invoked her Fifth Amendment right. Markus has said previously she would be willing to answer questions if Trump granted her clemency. The Supreme Court in October rejected Maxwell’s appeal and ordered her to continue to be jailed. The Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files has deeply divided Republicans, with multiple members breaking with the president in criticizing the Justice Department for failing to release the Epstein files in their entirety and calling for more indictments of co-conspirators.
Trump Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell ‘Is Not Something He’s Considering,’ White House Says (Forbes)
Ghislaine Maxwell’s Conviction Stands As Supreme Court Rejects Case (Forbes)
Ghislaine Maxwell Pleads The Fifth To Lawmakers—But Says She’ll Answer Questions If Granted Clemency (Forbes)
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